Change Isn't Always Easy

What a week. Where to start? On Monday I decided that Noah didn't seem to be eating well with nursing. Tuesday afternoon I pumped and bottle-fed instead of nursing, and then Wednesday I pumped and bottle-fed exclusively. Can I just say to all those moms out there who have been pumping exclusively for a while, YOU ARE AMAZING! What a lot of work. I definitely wouldn't be able to keep that up for long. And it seems that Noah won't let me. Within days of trying it out, he became extremely fussy and had some major crying spells which is really unlike him. Friday night he woke up early and was inconsolable until I put him to the breast. He quieted down and fell asleep quickly. I guess he's just not ready to be completely weaned. And that's fine, because I don't think I am either. I still worry that he's not getting enough, but even with a bottle full of BM, it's hit or miss whether he'll eat much. I must just have a fussy eater (probably payback for how picky I was as a kid, right Mom?).

In his 5 month update, I mentioned that he's not into rolling to his tummy very much. Well, you can scratch that now. As soon as he's put down in his crib, he flips right over so he can sleep on his tummy. When we play on the blanket, he likes to turn over so he can look around (mostly at the dog). Apparently tummy time is where it's at now. I also said he's still eating breastmilk exclusively. My goal was to keep that up until 5.5 months, but we decided to start solids about a week early. Last night was his first attempt at rice cereal. He definitely has no idea how to swallow. Instead he makes tongue movements like he's trying to nipple feed, and more of the cereal ends up on his bib than in his tummy. (Maybe he was just upset that we had him in such a girly bib.) But he opened his mouth well for the spoon and seemed like he was truly interested in trying something new. We shall see!

Finally, this morning Noah sat unassisted for a few brief seconds. And when I say "sat," I mean he leaned forward, propping himself up with his arms, until he pretty much folded himself in half. But he didn't immediately fall to the side, and that is major progress! Yay Noah!